Seeing the message “The original audio is no longer available and has been removed from your reel” can be confusing and concerning for Instagram users. This essentially means that a piece of audio you had previously added to one of your Instagram Reels is no longer available due to rights issues or removal by the creator. Your reel video itself will remain, but the original audio will be removed.
Why You Might See This Message
There are a few key reasons you may encounter this message on one of your Reels:
- The audio file was removed or deleted by the creator/owner
- The audio contained copyrighted material used without permission
- The audio file violated Instagram’s community guidelines or terms of service
- Instagram received a valid complaint or request to take the audio down
Essentially, the owner of the original audio decided to remove it from Instagram’s audio library, or Instagram itself removed the audio due to policy violations. This means it can no longer be used in Reels.
What Happens When the Audio is Removed
When the “original audio is no longer available” message appears, here is what will happen:
- The audio will be removed from your Reel video on your profile.
- The Reel video itself will remain on your profile.
- Viewers will not hear any audio when watching your Reel.
- You will see a message on the Reel that says “Original Audio Unavailable.”
- You can delete the Reel or keep it on your profile without the audio.
So in summary, your video will stay put, but the audio will be removed. Viewers will see that audio is unavailable on that specific Reel.
Will This Affect Your Instagram Account?
In most cases, having the audio removed from your Reel will NOT affect your Instagram account in any way. Since you did not own the rights to the audio, Instagram will not take action on your account for using it before it was removed.
The only exception is if you were violating copyright law by knowingly using heavily copyrighted audio without permission. In that unlikely case, repeated offenses could potentially lead to an account suspension or termination.
What to Do if the Audio is Removed
If you see the notification that your Reel’s audio was taken down, here are a few options:
- Delete the Reel – If you don’t like the Reel without the original audio, you can simply delete it from your profile.
- Keep the Reel – If you want to keep the Reel video available on your profile without audio, you can leave it up.
- Add new audio – You can add a new audio track to the Reel if you want it to have audio again.
- Contact the owner – If you have rights to use the audio, you can try contacting the audio owner and ask them to restore it.
- Appeal to Instagram – If you believe the takedown was an error, you can submit an appeal to Instagram.
The simplest options are to delete the Reel, leave it up without audio, or add new audio yourself. Appealing to Instagram rarely works unless it was truly an error on their end.
How to Avoid This Happening in the Future
To help prevent your Reels audio being removed in the future, here are some tips:
- Only use audio you have explicit rights to use, such as original recordings.
- Avoid using short snippets of copyrighted songs without permission.
- Use audio from Instagram’s audio library whenever possible.
- Credit the artist if you are unsure of the copyright status.
- If in doubt, don’t use it or contact the rights holder for permission.
Following Instagram’s community guidelines for acceptable, non-copyrighted audio will help minimize the chances of a takedown happening again. But even when you do everything right, the owner can still remove audio at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my Reel audio get removed?
The most common reasons are the owner deleted it, copyright issues, or violations of Instagram’s policies. Only the audio owner or Instagram can confirm the specific reason.
Can I re-add the audio to my Reel?
Unfortunately no, once the audio is removed from Instagram you cannot re-add it to Reels. You will need to add a new audio track.
What if I paid to use the song?
If you properly licensed the audio but it still got removed, you should reach out to whoever you paid for permission and ask them to file a retraction with Instagram to reinstate it.
Will Instagram delete my Reel too?
Highly unlikely. In most cases only the audio will be removed, not the entire Reel video, as long as you did not knowingly violate copyright law.
Can I appeal the audio removal?
Yes, you can submit an appeal to Instagram if you believe the audio was removed incorrectly. But appeals rarely work unless the takedown was truly made in error.
The Bottom Line
Having your Reel audio removed can be disappointing, but is often out of your control. The best option is usually to just delete the Reel or replace the audio. Be careful about using copyrighted audio without proper permissions to avoid issues in the future. If this happens, your account will remain in good standing in most cases unless you willfully violated copyright law.